The Trip
by E. D. Daiye
Summary: What does a letter before school begins bring for the trio and other 6th years? Mixed pairings throughout.


Disclaimer: No, not mine! Get it? Got it? Good.  
  
Author's Note: Okay, this story is my short break from my other fic, which is a little too serious for me right now! (Don't worry, all of you faithful readers who want to kick my ass... I'm still working on it!) Aaaanywho I was inspired to write this when I read a fic on here that one of my friends wrote! Hope you enjoy it! It's more of a... PWP shall we say, only not quite! There are also a few characters that I made up for my own fun (six to be exact!)! Have fun kiddies!  
  
~*~  
  
Harry Potter was deep in sleep at number four, Privet Drive, when he felt a familiar nipping at his arm. He stirred, grunting slightly, wondering what was so important that he needed to be woken up. Finally he sat up, opening his heavy eyelids. The sun hadn't even come up yet.  
  
"What Hedwig?" he groaned exasperatedly, gently unwrapping the the ribbon that tied the pale blue envelope to her leg. He gave her a quick rub of affection before mentioning that he had put fresh food in her cage, which immediately sent her soaring across the room for it.  
  
Harry opened the envelope and hurriedly unfolded the urgent mystery letter. It read:  
  
Dear Mr. Potter,  
  
I am writing to inform you that when you return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year, you must immediately report to Headmaster Dumbledore's office. He has a very serious matter to discuss with you about your 6th year here. If you could bring this letter along with you, that would be extremely helpful. Thank you.  
  
Sincerely, Professor Minerva McGonagall  
  
P.S. Happy belated 16th Birthday, Harry.  
  
Harry's stomach turned to lead as he read the letter. When he read the end, he chuckled slightly, but he still couldn't remove the feeling of dread spreading through him.  
  
'Am I in trouble? Am I in danger? Am I getting expelled? What did I do wrong?' the thoughts raced through his head. He figured he wasn't in any danger, because the war was over, and Voldemort was finally dead. Although he had a close call quite a few times last year, Harry was still alive and well. Yet he still couldn't think of any other reason for being called to Dumbledore's office so early in the year.  
  
Harry looked at his calendar, and then his clock. It was August 31st, and he would be going back to school tomorrow. It was also now 5:39 AM, the annoying red glare of his alarm informed him so. He silently opened his door, and grabbed a towel from the closet in the hallway. He slipped into the bathroom and turned on the shower, waiting for the water to get warm.  
  
While waiting he removed his sleepwear -- plaid boxers, and tossed them aside. Harry only had a moment to glance at his reflection before steam blanketed the mirror, but what he saw made him smirk devilishly. He knew that he had changed a little this summer, and he hoped that people would like it. Harry had figured that he'd always be a scrawny, muscular guy, but his growth spurt started at the end of 5th year, and now he had filled out his gangly body. He remained muscular from his quidditch training, but now people could actually see that he was toned when they looked at him. He was no longer a really short guy, but instead, he now stood at 6'2".  
  
Harry stepped out of the shower after he was squeaky clean, and he rubbed the towel over his head vigorously to dry his hair a little. He wrapped the towel around his waist tightly and unlocked the door before padding back to his room. He heard Dudley still snoring, but he could tell that his aunt and uncle were moving about in their bedroom.  
  
He shut his door firmly behind him and walked over to his closet, pulling out navy blue boxers, a pair of white socks, jeans, and a black t-shirt. He threw his outfit on his bed and grabbed his deodorant, quickly applying it and then tossing it back to the floor. He took off his towel, dried his hair some more, and then discarded it to the floor before getting dressed.  
  
By the time he headed downstairs, he could hear Dudley attempting a shower (Harry knew that he could barely fit into the stall) and he could smell breakfast cooking -- the Dursleys had long since given up on Dudley's diet because Dudley was kicked out of Smeltings anyway. Harry had barely reached the last step on the stairwell when he heard the phone ring.  
  
"Hullo?" came Uncle Vernon's gruff voice from the kitchen, "Oh... Yes, he resides here... I suppose... BOY! GET YOUR ARSE IN HERE!"  
  
Harry knew at once that his uncle was addressing him, because he wouldn't dare call Dudley 'boy'. He sauntered into the kitchen, where Uncle Vernon was holding the phone out to him. Harry couldn't believe his eyes! Why on earth would his uncle accept a call for him?!  
  
"It a lady from the London Centre for the Mentally Unstable. She says that she needs to speak to you on behalf of getting you in." Vernon smiled evilly. Harry rolled his eyes and reluctantly grabbed the phone, pressing it to his ear.  
  
"Hello?" he said, sighing.  
  
"Hey Harry!" came Hermione's voice from the other end, "I hope my lie sounded real... I just needed to talk to you! Just pretend that I'm from whatever cock -and-bull centre I said I was from."  
  
For a moment, Harry cracked into a grin, but since he figured it would look too conspicuous, he quickly turned it into a frown.  
  
"Okay, I can speak for a short while about what my family believes is my illness." he stated loudly, trying not to laugh.  
  
"Good. I got a letter this morning from Professor McGonagall, and it worries me a little bit."  
  
"I did too!" he almost whispered.  
  
"I'm not sure if Ron received one, but if you did, then that probably means that he did. Do you think that we might be in trouble, Harry?" she sounded very stressed now.  
  
"I'm not sure. Maybe." he hissed back.  
  
Uncle Vernon was starting to look suspiciously in Harry's direction. Harry picked up on this right away, and tried to sound like he was really talking to someone else.  
  
"Yes, I've heard about your extensive programs. Do you think that they would help me?" he gave his uncle a quizzical stare.  
  
"What?! Oh, right. Well anyway, I just hoped that you might know something about it. If you do, then say 'I agree', otherwise just say 'I wonder'."  
  
"Hmm... I wonder..."  
  
"Alright, thanks Harry. I'm going to go then, and we'll discuss this on the train tomorrow, okay?"  
  
"Okay, it was nice talking to you too, ma'am. B'bye." and he put the phone back on the hook.  
  
"So, boy, are you going to the London Centre for the Mentally Unstable?" he flashed him a hopeful grin.  
  
"Oh, no. The woman didn't seem to think that I was unstable at all!" Harry smiled politely before leaving the room, leaving his uncle baffled.  
  
He dashed up the stairs and went back into his room, but not before hearing Dudley squeal as he tried not to be seen with a towel barely covering even his arse. Harry couldn't stifle his laughter any longer, and as soon as the door clicked shut, he burst out in a fit of laughter.  
  
Then he noticed the letter still sitting menacingly on his bed. His feeling of worry came back then, but he decided that he'd try not to let it get to him for the remainder of the day. Besides, he was going back to school the next day, and his homework was all finished.  
  
He stared out the window in better spirits, watching as the last bit of the sun rose, urging all of Privet Drive's inhabitants to wake for another day.  
  
~*~  
  
A/N 2: SooOOOoOOoO!! How'd I do?!?! I REALLY REALLY REALLY tried to make this chapter long!!! I hope I did okay!! ::grins sweetly:: Hey, you really wanna do me a favor, don't ya? Well then... REVIEW!!! I can tell that you really want to.... ::growls:: 


End file.
